


Howl

by annagarny



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, Drabble, Howling, Not Canon Compliant At All, but just cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2016-08-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 07:04:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7747861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annagarny/pseuds/annagarny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles finds out that lone wolves don't howl. Unless they're replying to someone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Howl

So Stiles got a bit lost one night. On Wikipedia, for something totally new and different.

He’d started off looking for stuff for History, he _swears,_ but link-jumping led to a wolf rescue team in Canada and from there it was observations of wolf behaviours in the wild and 

“… when a wolf is separated from their pack (be it they are driven out or the rest of the pack dies) and is no longer able to contact them, it has been observed that after a period of searching and calling to them (howling) that the lone wolf will accept his or her fate and stop calling.

It has also been observed that generally a wolf that has ceased to howl remains a lone wolf. However it has been seen that they can connect with a new pack and resume communication, though this is rare.”

And Stiles… couldn't help but think of the lone wolf he knew. 

Derek had lost his entire pack once, and rebuilt it. Then… lost it again. Come to think of it, the only time Stiles had heard Derek howl had been when he was Alpha, to call to his pack.

He wondered, idly, if Derek howled these days. If he missed it. 

There was a YouTube link on the page, so of course he clicked it and there it was… a compilation of wolves howling. From tiny cubs who were learning, to an old, grizzled grey wolf with a pale muzzle tipping his head back and _roaring_ into the night, summoning his pack. It was powerful stuff, and Stiles found his throat itching as he wanted to join them. 

He bit his lip to stop himself from trying then and there (it was three in the morning and his Dad was home, he wasn’t _stupid)_ but he decided that next time he was alone and had a chance… he was going to try.

So he did. He went out into the woods one night and loaded up the video, watched it a few times (headphones in) before he turned his phone off and looked up to the waxing moon, hoping for some inspiration before he tried to howl.

Admittedly, it was pretty pathetic. Some of the weeks-old wolf pups had done a better job than him. But they were also _wolves,_ and he was just a teenaged human. 

He kept practicing, for about an hour that night, until his phone started to buzz and he looked down to see that it was _Derek_ calling him.

“Derek?” he asked, his voice a little scratchy from all the howling.

“Stiles… _what the hell are you doing?”_ Derek demanded, and Stiles felt his ears and cheeks heating up.

“I’m just -well. Uh. I haven’t heard you howl in a while. And I read that lone wolves _won’t_ howl unless they’re replying to someone, so. I um, I thought I could practice. You can hear me?” he frowned and looked around.

“I’m like three miles from your house, dude.”

“Yes, I can hear you.” Derek ground out. “You still didn’t explain _why_ you’re howling - there’s no danger or anything is there?” he suddenly sounded a little… concerned. Stiles felt himself smiling before he realised that it was because Derek was worried about him.

“There’s nothing wrong. I just… thought you might like to hear someone else howling. Because it’s been a while.”

Derek was silent on the other end of the line for a long moment, long enough that Stiles pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure that crappy reception at his end hadn’t caused the call to drop out.

“Thank you.” Derek said, voice so low that Stiles barely caught it.

“What?”

“Thanks. It’s… nice.To know that someone cares. Just… come by the loft, ok? Because the howls you’ve been doing sound like you’re in _pain,_ and I can help you learn how to howl so I just know you’re bored and want someone to talk to.”

Stiles was a little offended.

“I do not sound like I’m in _pain-”  
_

_“Stiles,_ who is the wolf here?”

“Ugh, fine. Fine!”

“Just… come by the loft.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see you in a bit.” he ended the call and headed back to the Jeep, a little spring in his step. Derek hadn’t said so in as many words, but Stiles got the impression that he was… well. Not _happy,_ per se, but at least a little bit less miserable right now.

 

 

 


End file.
